L.A. Rams aim to inspire with players' first visit to Camarillo youth facility

Three current and nine former Rams players participate in the first “Cleats for Character” session to be held in a correctional institution.
Steve Byerly, steven.byerly@vcstar.com

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Micah Moore, front center, and others at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility jump for a pass during a scrimmage Saturday as the Los Angeles Rams donated cleats and jerseys to about 100 youths at the facility.(Photo: DAVID YAMAMOTO/SPECIAL TO THE STAR)Buy Photo

There they were: pro football players, seated at tables around the visiting center of the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility in Camarillo.

On Saturday, the Los Angeles Rams made their first — and what many hope will be inaugural — visit to the facility, aiming to inspire the young men inside to set goals and aim high.

Three current Rams players, including St. Bonaventure High alum Troy Hill, joined nine former players in a “Cleats for Character” session held inside a correctional institution for the first time, organizers said.

“It’s a big deal,” said Chuck Supple, director of the state Division of Juvenile Justice. The division, part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, provides treatment and education for youthful offenders up to age 25 with the most serious criminal backgrounds. The facility houses serious and violent offenders, according to staff, including those who have committed crimes such as carjacking and murder.

“Rams Day,” as Supple called Saturday’s activities, provided an opportunity for the young residents to “take that spark of a dream and blow it into a flame,” he said.

Sports often provide “the first motivation and avenue into pursuing a college education” for young people like those in attendance, Supple said, many of whom are gifted athletes.

“Community colleges are looking for this type of talent,” he said, “and we want college to be a real opportunity for them.”

The Camarillo site is one of four Division of Juvenile Justice facilities in California, with the other three in Northern California. About 194 residents are currently housed at the local institution, the facility’s staff said. Twenty-six females reside at the site, although Saturday’s event was not coed.

The session started in the visiting area, an open, light-filled room where each round table seated six to eight people.

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Los Angeles Rams defensive back Dominique Hatfield talks with Micah Moore on Saturday at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility as the NFL team donated cleats and jerseys to about 100 youths at the facility while encouraging goal-setting and self-development. DAVID YAMAMOTO/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Los Angeles Rams defensive back Dominique Hatfield runs a football drill at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility as the NFL team donated cleats and jerseys to about 100 youths while encouraging goal-setting and self-development. DAVID YAMAMOTO/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Micah Moore and Pete Sanchez joke around after Moore caught a pass during a scrimmage Saturday at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility residents as the Los Angeles Rams donated cleats and jerseys to about 100 youths. DAVID YAMAMOTO/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Micah Moore, front center, and others at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility jump for a pass during a scrimmage Saturday as the Los Angeles Rams donated cleats and jerseys to about 100 youths at the facility. DAVID YAMAMOTO/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

During a football drill Saturday, former Rams cornerback and safety Johnny Johnson entreats those at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility to be mentally engaged in any drill, game or life situation they may be involved in. DAVID YAMAMOTO/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Los Angeles Rams cornerback Troy Hill talks about his success in football with Asipeli Moli, left, and Nathan Kim on Saturday at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility. DAVID YAMAMOTO/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks talks about his future goals with Leno Guzman, second from left, Gerardo Lopez and Jimmy Duenas on Saturday at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility. DAVID YAMAMOTO/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Rams Team Executive Johnathan Franklin relates his story about overcoming his football career ending injury during a motivational speech Saturday at the Ventura Youth Correctional Facility. DAVID YAMAMOTO/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

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After introductions and a motivational speech by team executive Johnathan Franklin — a former Green Bay Packers player whose on-the-field career was cut short after 12 games by a spinal contusion — the players sat at tables and worked with the young men, helping them fill out personal “vision boards” that delineated talents, goals and areas for improvement.

“My question to you all is: What is your ‘why?’” Franklin asked the group, describing his own journey through depression and redemption after suffering the injury that ended his football dreams.

“Football was my ‘why.’ It was my identify,” Franklin said. “When it was taken away, I didn’t know what to live for.”

Franklin said he discovered dreams bigger than football: dreams for his community, dreams of being a role model. He described a difficult upbringing in South Central L.A., saying he was a man who had nothing.

“But the power of my ‘why’ gave me something,” he told the group. “... Today, the Rams are here to show you that we believe in you, in spite of the past, the choices and mistakes.”

The engagement between players and attendees was evident. The young men were focused and attentive, at times breaking into laughter as players shared stories.

Some players, including Hill, who was arrested on a driving-under-the-influence offense in 2016, were able to use personal stories as motivation.

“I felt like they could relate to me a little bit better,” Hill, 26, a cornerback, said after the indoor session. “I felt like we made that connection, and once we made that connection, they got more comfortable with me. ... It gave them kind of a good outlook that they can still do some things.”

Another current player at Saturday’s event, defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks, 27, was arrested in September near Bakersfield on a gun-related charge. The charismatic player clearly held the interest of the group he worked with.

Defensive back Dominique Hatfield, 23, was also on hand along with former players including Reggie Doss, David Hill, LeRoy Irvin, George Andres, Johnnie Johnson, Phil Olsen, Joe Sweet and Isiah Robertson.

About 96 residents of the facility took part in Saturday’s session. Participation was earned through good behavior for about a month, officials said.

Attendees wore team jerseys that they were allowed to keep. They also got lightly worn cleats from the Rams’ 2017 roster.

One attendee, 19-year-old Christopher Flores, said he was interested in hearing the athletes’ stories of growing up and learning how they made it.

“It’s good to see them and shake their hand,” said Flores, who plays soccer and baseball.

After setting goals indoors, participants moved outside to the facility’s football field. There, Rams players carried out receiving drills and agility and footwork exercises with participants on a grass field marked with gopher holes.

Attendee Rodkei Royal, 19, watched the action from the sidelines before rotating back in.

“I’m just happy to see everybody out here enjoy the moment while we can,” Royal said.

The Cleats for Character sessions previously have been held at high schools, including Camarillo High and Hueneme High, but never before in a correctional facility.

Saturday’s event grew from a chance meeting between the team’s executive vice president, Kevin Demoff, and Scott Budnick, a former movie producer who left the film industry to found the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, or ARC.

Budnick, who was at Saturday’s event, said he was giving a tour of Men’s Central jail in Los Angeles when Demoff was on the tour. The two started talking about a month ago and pulled together the first-ever session behind locked doors.

“The players know where these kids come from,” Budnick said while the pros coached participants on the field.

He said he hoped Saturday’s session would be the first of many at the youth facility.